Inside The Stately Home Brought Back To Life By Its Local Community

Michael Hayman uncovers how Wentworth Woodhouse has been brought back to life by its local community.

Wentworth Woodhouse: The Stately Home Reborn For The Modern Age

Tucked away in South Yorkshire, Wentworth Woodhouse is a hidden gem that gleams with that very spirit – a stately home brought back to life not by wealth or decree, but by the will of its community. It stands today as a quietly remarkable example of how the past can powerfully shape the future. Once one of Europe’s grandest private homes – with a façade longer than Buckingham Palace – Wentworth was a jewel of aristocratic ambition. Built and expanded by the Fitzwilliam family, whose vast coal empire made them among the richest families in the world, it symbolised industrial-era wealth and power on a global scale. But as fortunes waned and industries declined, the house was gradually lost to time – and eventually to the family altogether. After years of decline and disrepair, it was a house on the brink. That was until the local community stepped in. Today, through the work of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, this house, rich with stories of the past, is becoming a beacon for the future.

What sets this project apart is its people. Volunteers, apprentices, schoolchildren, artists, and local families – all are playing a part in bringing Wentworth back to life. From the team of volunteers who transformed the overgrown Drying Green into a thriving community garden to assistant gardener Liam Coleman, who assessed a horticulture course for local students, regeneration here means growth in every sense. Indoors, once-forgotten rooms are now places of learning and belonging. The Camellia House, newly opened after a £4.6m restoration, hosts everything from memory cafés for those with dementia to creative projects that support people experiencing social isolation.

The house is also becoming a star of screen and stage, regularly used as a filming location for major period dramas. Crucially, students are written into the contracts, giving them hands-on experience working on live productions. The scale of restoration is vast, and so is the effort behind it. Funding comes from a combination of public grants, heritage bodies, and private philanthropy, all underpinned by tireless local fundraising. From bake sales to black-tie galas, the community shows up, proving that heritage, when shared, becomes everyone’s to protect.

I visited with my family earlier this year and was blown away. Mighty stags roamed the grounds like living relics. The welcome was warm and unstuffy. There were no roped-off areas or whispered reverence. And behind it all, a team of people with the kind of pride that can’t be trained.

Some years ago, I read Black Diamonds, the brilliant chronicle of the rise and fall of the Fitzwilliam family. But standing there I thought: it’s time for a sequel. Because Wentworth has risen again. In a country where you might be forgiven for thinking you’ve seen it all – stately homes, sweeping drives, stories of former glory – Wentworth Woodhouse offers something refreshingly different. It’s a living, working landmark, reimagined for today. Not as a monument to power, but as a home for possibility. It reminds us that regeneration isn’t about restoring what was, but unlocking what could be.

Fun Facts

• Stately screen star: Wentworth Woodhouse has starred in The Crown, Downton Abbey and Darkest Hour, doubling as palaces and halls of power.
• Double vision: It’s actually two houses in one, with a Baroque west front and a Palladian east front, built back to back.
• Bigger than Buckingham: With a 618-foot façade, Wentworth boasts the longest frontage of any country house in Britain.
• Explore away: Tour the house and gardens, join creative and wellbeing courses, or drop into the café. Whether you come for cake, a class or a quiet wander, every visit supports the next chapter in this stirring revival.

Discover more at wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk